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Design for the Spire of the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen

ca. 1738–42
Not on view
Design for the spire of a church in a Northern Baroque style. Depicted is the top half of the spire, starting from the clockwork on up. There are three tiers with a balustrade before the spire ends in a narrow tip, decorated with three crowns and surmounted by the figure of an angel blowing a horn. The tower is further decorated with statues of the Evangelists, the Danish Royal coat of arms and decorative elements such as vases and balusters.

The drawing represents the design for the new church spire of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Copenhagen which had been completely destroyed in 1728 during a city fire that lasted four days and destroyed over a third of the city. Works on the reconstruction of the building started a decade later and it is from this period that Lerche’s design stems. Its design was inspired by the church of St. Martin in the Field in London. By 1743 the new bells were installed signaling the completion of the building campaign. Unfortunately, the tower did not survive the bombardment of Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars in 1807 and burned down once more: an event recorded in several prints and a painting by Eckersberg.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Design for the Spire of the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen
  • Artist: Vincents Lerche (Danish, Copenhagen 1666–1742 Copenhagen)
  • Date: ca. 1738–42
  • Medium: Pen and black ink with watercolor
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 28 3/8 × 11 7/16 in. (72 × 29 cm)
  • Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Edward Pearce Casey Fund, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.610
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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